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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28830459">He Plays Bass</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/sebs/pseuds/sebs'>sebs</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Avatar: The Last Airbender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Punk, Autistic Zuko (Avatar), Azula (Avatar) Redemption, Band Fic, Big Brother Sokka (Avatar), Bisexual Disaster Sokka (Avatar), Bisexual Jet (Avatar), Bisexual Sokka (Avatar), Bisexual Suki (Avatar), Gay Zuko (Avatar), Love at First Sight, M/M, Miscommunication, Misunderstandings, No Smut, POV Sokka (Avatar), Rivalry, Sokka (Avatar) Has ADHD, Zuko (Avatar) Has PTSD - Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, kind of, of sorts</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 13:00:41</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,281</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28830459</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/sebs/pseuds/sebs</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The last thing Sokka expects from a trashy house show is to fall in love with the hot bassist.</p><p>Especially when he's the brother of his sister's rival.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Aang &amp; Katara (Avatar), Aang &amp; Sokka (Avatar), Hakoda &amp; Sokka (Avatar), Katara &amp; Sokka (Avatar), Sokka &amp; Suki (Avatar), Sokka &amp; The Gaang (Avatar), Sokka/Zuko (Avatar), Toph Beifong &amp; Sokka, Toph Beifong &amp; Sokka &amp; Suki</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>67</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Blood One</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>hey! listen. do punk, bands, or music have anything to do with the plot? no. is this fic misleading? probably. is there still a lot of random music content in here because i want to write about as many special interests as possible and also loved the idea of writing the gaang as a bunch of rambunctious punk kids and azula as an egirl? yes.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sokka’s first mistake was introducing Katara to Bikini Kill. </p><p>	It started as a joke. The most hardcore Katara had ever got with her music was Taylor Swift’s Repuation. Of course, Sokka had to put up with her boring pop shit on their ride to school because it was Katara’s freshman year and she was always two minutes away from a panic attack. But then April Fools came along, and Sokka had the hilarious idea to scare her with a bit of his own taste, just for a few minutes. And it worked at first. When the bassline of “Blood One” intersected with Kathleen Hanna’s brash vocals, Katara’s eyes froze and she crooked her head in a mixture of confusion and disgust. Sokka’s face lit up in pure delight. His smile wouldn’t last another minute, though, because before he knew it, Katara was falling in love. She made him play the next song, and then the next after that. From then on, feminist punk rock became a regular addition on their rides to school.</p><p>	By the time summer rolled around, Katara was dragging Sokka to shows whenever she had the chance. And these weren’t the shows that he’d been to, that he enjoyed, with wicked bands and regulars who gave him free beer, no. These venues were buried in warehouses and art gallery’s, were half as loud and violent than his old shows, and were filled to the brim with girls in knee high boots and gay dudes who didn’t seem to like Sokka one bit. It wasn’t all bad, though. Katara and Sokka met Toph at one of the regular venues, and they became instant friends. She went to a private school nearby, and snuck out every weekend to go to a show. She was blind, which at first freaked Sokka out every time he ran into her, but she was well known, and it was common knowledge in the scene to leave her alone unless she asked for accommodations first. </p><p>	In mid July, Sokka asked Suki to tag along, which was his second mistake. She loved going to shows with him already, but she absolutely ate up whatever crack Katara was on. It did start to become really fun, though, with Suki. Eventually, Sokka, Katara, Toph and Suki, became their own group, and they spent the summer moshing and screaming, having the time of their lives. Hakoda just laughed to himself every night they came home with bruises, happily telling him about the cool new band they discovered on their latest adventure. Katara was still fourteen and absurdly innocent, and Sokka tried to keep her as sober as possible, despite Suki and Toph managing to get their hands on any booze or weed in the general vicinity.  But it worked, the four of them worked, and by summer’s end, Sokka had never been closer to his sister. He had also never been more scared to lose her as the first day of school drew close.</p><p>	However, they planned to go out with a bang. Suki had found a house show with a handful of bands playing just two days before school started. The  house was bordering the rich side of town, three stories with a basement, and as the four of them pulled up, they could see it was already teeming with life. A few girls, who all looked seemingly identical, sat smoking outside, and laughter and music split the silence this neighborhood usually carried.</p><p>“Am I gonna have to stay sober again cause I drove us here?” Suki sighed, drumming her hands on the steering wheel. She was wearing her usual hiking boots dress combination, this time with a flowy black dress that fit her shoulders nicely, and some ripped sheer tights. Sokka thought it was funny how much effort she put into looking nice and looking like she would beat your ass simultaneously.</p><p>Sokka turned his head to the backseat, where the sophomores sat: Katara with her hair pinned up and some dark lipstick smeared on staring at her phone, and Toph in her usual cargo pants and baggy band shirt, bouncing in her seat.</p><p>“Yes, but I think it’d be best if we all stayed pretty sober,” he said, expecting the glare Toph gave him in response. “I’m doing you a favor, Toph. Remember the last time you tried to sneak back drunk and almost woke up your parents?”</p><p>	Her eyes narrowed, but she cracked her knuckles, which was her usual sign of defeat. She nodded to exit the car, and they all stepped out, making their way to the house. On the way, one of the girls sitting on the lawn gave a small wave to Suki, who responded with a nod, as per usual. Sokka had at one point tried to make note of everyone he’d seen Suki with, platonically or otherwise, but fell short after their first year of friendship.</p><p>	Upon entering, they came face to face with the group occupying the front of the house: Jet and his band. Suki greeted them with the familiar curtness she used with everyone, Katara fell apart at the seams the moment she saw Jet, Sokka let out a passive aggressive groan, and Toph was mostly unaware of what was going on, and the utter assholery of Jet.</p><p>“Hey, Sokka, Suki, Katara,” Jet said, dragging out Katara’s name an unnecessary amount. His gaze flickered over to Toph, who he reached a hand out to. “Sup, I’m Jet.”</p><p>	“I’m blind,” Toph deadpanned.</p><p>Jet awkwardly chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck as Sokka and Toph snickered to<br/>
themselves.</p><p>“That’s Toph,” Katara glared at the both of them. </p><p>“Hey, I think I’ve seen you around before,” one of Jet’s crew, Smellerbee, said to Toph. “You went to the Halloween show at Dave’s?”</p><p>	It took Toph a second but Smellerbee’s nasally voice was pretty recognizable. “Oh, yeah, you’re the one with the weird name! Smeller!”</p><p> </p><p>A smile lit up Toph’s face, and Smellerbee shrugged as if to say ‘that’s me’. Smellerbee introduced Toph, to Pipsqueak and Longshot, as the rest of them hung around Jet awkwardly. It was obviously getting frustrating for Jet not being the center of attention, but on the other hand, Jet’s frustration was pretty funny for Sokka. </p><p>	“So, I didn’t know you were playing tonight,” Katara said in a high pitched voice, even twirling her hair? Ew.</p><p>	“Yeah, well, if the show doesn’t get shut down by then. Matriarchy’s doing a good job tearing up the basement right now, though,” Jet said, taking a hit from his ever present joint.</p><p>	“Their band name is Matriarchy?” Sokka asked bewildered, although it was surely a cooler band name than The Freedom Fighters.</p><p>	“It’s a joke, Sokka,” Jett said, like he was the stupidest person in the world. </p><p>	“Alright, whatever,” Sokka said, rolling his eyes and beckoning to the group to follow him. “You coming or not, Toph?”</p><p>	“Actually, I think I’m going to hang out with Smellerbee for a little bit. I’ll meet you guys later though!”</p><p>	“Suit yourself,” Sokka said, and Suki and him started making their way towards the sound of the music. </p><p>	“Hey, Katara-” Jett began, but before he could finish, Sokka yanked Katara away.</p><p>						…</p><p>	“You’re just mad because he’s more popular than you!” Katara yelled as they entered the basement.</p><p> It was musty, crowded, and ear splitting. The band themselves weren’t even playing too loudly,<br/>
but the lead singer’s vocals were shrill and a powerhouse on their own. There were a lot of elements of classic riot grrrl, noisy and unapologetic, with the energy of a bouncy pop punk show. The crowd was eating it up, and judging from the faces Sokka could make out, most of them were from his high school. </p><p>	“I’m mad because he’s been flirting with you since you were a freshman! And he’s just an all around prick!” </p><p>	Usually, with Suki around, Sokka would try to deescalate the situation so that they could all have a nice time together. Jet was his breaking point. </p><p>	“He’s only two years older than me! Suki’s two years older than me!”</p><p>	“Suki’s not trying to sleep with you!”</p><p>	“You think he’s trying to sleep with me?” Katara said with wide eyes. </p><p>	Sokka facepalmed, but before he opened his mouth again, Suki intervened. </p><p>	“Okay, Sokka, let me talk to Katara. I think your brother perspective isn’t really...helpful here. Maybe just try to enjoy the music?”</p><p>	Sokka rolled his eyes, but listened to Suki, like he always did. Even though they’d been friends for almost two years now, ever since sophomore year, he was still a little embarrassed that they had met when Sokka was deep in his dudebro phase, ignorant, preppy as fuck, and in the closet. Suki was the main reason he was able to get out of his toxic masculinity and embrace his bisexuality, not to mention get into the scene at all, so it was easy to feel like he owed a huge part of him to her. Suki couldn’t be less aware of this, though. The whole reason they broke up after nearly a year, aside from them just being better best friends, was Suki just having no idea what got to Sokka, or Sokka not being able to open up to Suki, not in the way he needed. </p><p>	He left Suki alone with Katara and tried to push through the crowd, saying hi to a few people. It wasn’t hard to get to the front, the whole basement was the size of a large living room, and most of the crowd was pushed together in a almost-but-not-quite-mosh pit. It was uncomfortable, though--teenage stench was a new kind of terrible--but Sokka could easily get used to it. It wasn’t until he got to the front that he actually laid eyes on the band, and once he did it was instant whiplash.</p><p>	Matriarchy was composed of Azula Cheung and her friends, a group which Sokka would have never been able to picture being in a punk band, not one this cool. Azula herself, was a lot like Katara in a lot of ways; stuck up, prissy, and overcompensating. Except Sokka let Katara off the hook for this on account of her being kind, smart, and working hard all her life to be where she is. Azula was the mayor’s daughter, and as far as Sokka was concerned, she was just a rich girl who got everything she wanted. </p><p>	Azula was the lead singer, of course she was. Her friend Ty Lee, who Sokka had a brief fling with in middle school, was on drums. She honestly played really well, and looked hot doing so, hair flinging into her face and her hands so concentrated on the rhythm, she looked completely different than the normal bubbly, bouncy, persona she had at school. Mai, the moody goth girl, and the only one who kind of made sense in the band, was on guitar, cutting through each of the notes with such precision and skill it was intense. She looked perfect, as always, and barely moved as she played, her cat like eyes downcast, and her feet grounded in her position.</p><p>	And, then, there was Azula’s brother, Zuko, on bass. As far as Sokka knew, he transferred to Sokka’s school last year, right when Azula started as a freshman. He hadn’t been in any of Sokka’s classes that year, and Sokka wasn’t even sure if he had heard him speak before. For the most part, he seemed to keep his head down, and might have been completely unrecognizable if it weren’t for the giant scar covering half of his face, from his brow bone to his mid cheek. He wasn’t as musically talented as the rest of the band, the bassline he was playing was relatively simple, but he was putting his whole body into it, his head bobbing and shoulders swaying side to side as the rest of the music carried on. </p><p>	In the front, Sokka was pushed and prodded, but refused to be knocked back into the crowd, staying where he was as he stared at Zuko. Girls laughed and boys screamed in his ears, but the only thing Sokka could focus on was the music, and the boy on the bass. At the end of the song, everybody cheered, and Zuko looked up with the brightest smile on his face, with the innocence of a puppy. His breath was ragged, and as he let out a sigh, his gaze met Sokka’s, who was still transfixed on him. There was a moment where Zuko realized Sokka had been staring straight at him, and he froze in place, blush splattered on his cheeks. Sokka noticed, and tried to play it off, looking away for a moment, before he inevitably made his way back to Zuko, who was grinning back at him. Azula launched into the next song, and Matriarchy continued, Zuko’s attention turning from Sokka to the bass cradled in his hands.</p><p>	Just as Sokka’s heart swelled, Katara was there to crush it again. From behind him, she grabbed his arm, and dragged him off to the side, Suki trailing behind them. </p><p>	“Can we leave,” she said, rolling her eyes. “I did not come to see Azula out of all people, and I’m pretty sure Jet was right about the show being shut down.”</p><p> </p><p>	Sokka shook his head, panicked. “They’re really good, Katara, come on. And don’t you want to see The Freedom Fighters play soon?”</p><p>	“Azula’s not worth it. She made my life a living hell freshman year, don’t you remember?” </p><p>	Sokka could recall Katara complaining about Azula a handful of times, but didn’t know it was that serious. She was clearly pissed though, arms crossed and nearly growling as Suki stood to the side, hand on the back of her neck.</p><p>	“Maybe we should just go up and meet Toph,” Suki said. “Reconvene from there.”</p><p>	They agreed to it, and headed up to the front of the house, where Toph, sprawled out on a couch, was in the middle of some grand story of hers, with the rest of the Freedom Fighters listening. Smellerbee and Pipsqueak seemed to think it was the most entertaining in the world, whereas Jet and Longshot were a little less than impressed.</p><p>	Once Jet saw the rest of the gang, his posture straightened, and he tapped Toph’s shoulder to get her attention. </p><p>	“Couldn’t leave me alone, Katara?” he asked once she got closer.</p><p>	Ew. Ew. Ew. Ew. Ew.</p><p>	“Actually, we were thinking of leaving,” Sokka said. “Katara hates Azula Cheung, apparently.”</p><p> </p><p>	“Makes sense. I mean who does she think she is, some rich girl getting into punk?” Jet asked rhetorically. “It’s a total antithesis for everything punk stands for. What, if your mayor daddy buys your guitar and gets you fancy lessons, you’re suddenly a rockstar?” </p><p>	“Then, why are you here, Jet?” Suki asked.</p><p>	“Ty Lee’s cool,” Jet said, shrugging.</p><p> </p><p>	 They stood there in silence, until Toph yawned and cracked her neck, never afraid to show when she was bored out of her mind. </p><p>	“I literally never know what you guys are talking about,” she said. “If you wanna leave, let’s just get out of here already.”</p><p>On their way out, Sokka ran into an anxious looking Aang standing on the lawn. Bless his heart, Aang was a good kid, but he could also make such a fool of himself sometimes. He was a sophomore like Katara, and joined the soccer team with Sokka, but unlike Sokka who tried as hard as he could to erase his jock image whenever he went out, Aang stood there in his regular Monday clothes, baggy basketball shorts and an ugly hoodie. When he saw Sokka though, he waved with a little too much vigor, a familiar joy overcoming him.</p><p>“Dude, you’re not gonna want to go in there, I’m not sure you’re cut out for it,” Sokka warned<br/>
him. </p><p>“My friends invited me,” Aang said, with his usual oblivious cadence. “Hey, Katara!” </p><p>	“Hey, Aang, you wanna come with us instead?” Katara asked. “I think we’re going to Omashu for dinner.”</p><p>Sokka didn't even know Aang and Katara knew each other. He was about to protest, but Suki elbowed him before he could get to it. Aang’s tiny face burst with excitement as he nodded. </p><p>Before he could change his mind, the five of them piled into the car, barely fitting, and drove off into the night.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Becky</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>By the time Sokka woke up, it was already past noon. He didn’t even have to look at his phone, from the sunshine accosting his eyes and the groggy feeling that overtook him, he could tell he had overslept. </p><p>	Of course, Toph was gone already, and Katara must have woken up ages ago. She could go to bed at 6 am and she’d still wake up at 7, on the dot. The only one who shared Sokka’s love of sleeping was Suki, bundled up on the floor next to Sokka’s bed. He leaned over and could make out the screen of her phone peeking out from the pile of blankets on top of her, and knew she was awake. </p><p>	“Morning, Suki,” he muttered, sitting up and preparing for the worst of it. </p><p>	Even though he was sure he didn’t drink last night, he had a headache he couldn’t seem to settle. After going to Omashu, a hole in the wall Chinese place run by a weird old man Aang apparently knew, they snuck into the city pool after hours and went swimming until their limbs wore out. Those were the less often, more treasured memories with his friends Sokka would hold close to him. Toph surprise splashing anyone she could come across and letting out a cackle. Suki pointing out constellations to Sokka in the quiet of the night. How Katara looked so at peace and calm when she was swimming. Even Aang, who barely knew who any of them were, was somewhat fun to be around, although he was practically hanging off Katara’s arm.</p><p>	Suki let out a guttural grunt in response, turning her body away from Sokka. He nodded in understanding and tried to get out of bed without stepping on her, which was hard when he couldn’t tell what was blanket and what was Suki. Sokka was quick to get ready, throwing on a loose t-shirt and some shorts. Suki seemed too tired to care, and couldn’t be bothered to look anyway.</p><p>	As he left his room, he saw Katara’s bedroom door wide open, no Katara inside. The house was small though, with walls as thin as paper, and after a few seconds he heard her laugh in the kitchen. He made his way over, and had to double take when he saw Aang sitting at the dining table, talking to his dad while Katara read a book in the corner.</p><p>	His entrance was nothing short of clumsy, and as soon as he stumbled in, he was met with six pairs of eyes staring at him, and a good morning from both Hakoda and Aang. Aang. This was so weird.</p><p>	Sokka crept over to Katara. “He’s still here?” he tried to say as quietly as possible. “I didn’t even know he slept over.”</p><p>	Katara shrugged. “He slept in the living room. Dad wouldn’t let him into my room.”</p><p>	Yeah, no shit, Sokka thought. But aloud he said, “what is he doing?”</p><p>	It was said maybe a little too loudly, Katara shot Sokka her death glare, but Aang couldn’t be bothered, chattering off to Hakoda about his adventures on the soccer team.</p><p>	“Being a nice guy, Sokka. You know, Aang’s actually really cool once you get to know him,” she said, extending her arm out to push Sokka away. “Now get away from me. You stink.”</p><p>	Sokka smelled himself. Fuck, he did stink. He trotted back to his room, more confused than ever. Suki was somewhat alive, sitting on his bed hunched over, scrolling through her phone. She threw him a little wave, as he plopped down next to her, sighing. He peeked over her phone, and saw she was looking at an Instagram story someone had taken of the show last night. And just like that, there he was.</p><p>	Zuko. Sokka had almost forgotten about Zuko.</p><p>	His hands on the bass, his head tilted back, his hair caught mid air.</p><p>	The story left as quickly as it appeared, and Sokka grabbed Suki’s phone, insisting she go back to it. She gaped at him, then let out a laugh.</p><p>	“What’s got you so riled up?” Suki said. She clicked back in the timeline, and thrust the photo in Sokka’s hands. “Happy?”</p><p>	Sokka’s eyes were glued on the boy in front of him. “So, how do you feel about Zuko?”</p><p>	Suki let out an all knowing laugh. “Is this about a crush?” she asked.</p><p>	Sokka shrugged. His smile spoke for itself.</p><p>	“I don’t know dude, I don’t really know him. I didn’t even know he was gonna be in the band last night. Mai’s cool, Ty Lee too, I guess. I know Azula and Zuko are a part of their gang but I don’t know shit about them other than the fact that their dad’s the mayor.”</p><p>	“You haven’t seen them around, at shows or anything?”</p><p>	“No. I hadn’t even heard of Matriarchy until I got invited.”</p><p>	Sokka tried not to fantasize about all aspects of Zuko’s life, but it was tempting. How long had his dad been the mayor? When did they move here? He imagined Zuko coming from a big city, like New York or Los Angeles, or a small town where everybody knew each other. He wondered where he was right now. Maybe he was the same as Sokka, sitting on his bed with Mai and Ty Lee after a long night and little sleep.</p><p>	“I have his Instagram, though,” Suki said, pulling it up from a picture he was tagged in. </p><p>	With urgency, Sokka typed the user into his phone, relieved to find out it was a public profile. He spent the rest of the day staring at pictures of Zuko, trying to get a better sense of who he was, and without fail, failing.</p><p>...</p><p>	It was the first day of senior year, and Sokka couldn’t focus to save his life. Which wasn’t the worst thing in the world, he had ADHD, and was no stranger to not being able to pay attention. But this was one of his worse days, where he couldn’t get away from his own mind to save his life. His teachers called attendance and he wouldn’t hear them until Suki or Haru kicked his foot. A few kids laughed at his inattentiveness, it didn’t really matter, he was already a bit of a class clown. </p><p>	Most of the day passed by in the blink of an eye, until his last period, AP Lit with Mr. Jeong Jeong. Sokka walked into the classroom, his long limbs sent on a rampage that began when his eyes met Zuko’s and he stumbled, flinging his hand behind him and hitting Jet square in the face.</p><p>	Well. Probably got what he deserved.</p><p>	Zuko turned away as if he couldn’t bear to see Sokka’s awkward existence. Meanwhile, Jet stared at him, trying to figure out if his assault was in any way intentional, but eventually he just scoffed to himself and headed to a seat. To make matters even worse, Jet took the empty seat next to Zuko, his other side occupied by Mai. It’s almost like the universe had sent Jet on a mission to torment every part of Sokka’s life.</p><p>	Sokka groaned and found a seat next to Chan, the resident quarterback. It ended up being quite the good seat, though. It was only a row behind Zuko, and a few desks away, which meant he had a diagonal view of his shaggy black hair, his soft looking lips, and his golden brown eyes.</p><p>Zuko didn’t have the passion he had the night of the show, though. Had Sokka expected him to? For the most part, he remained the unassuming boy Sokka had known him as. On occasion, though, Mai would make a snarky remark no one else would catch, and Zuko’s mouth would curve up into what could be interpreted as a smile. </p><p>That was enough for Sokka. He spent the class trying to think of excuses to talk to him after class ended. </p><p>Before he could get to him though, Mai came up to him instead, pulling Sokka aside. She tapped her foot, waiting for students to clear out, and as it was the last period, they did so immediately. In the corner, Zuko was talking to Mr. Jeong Jeong, but making glances towards Mai and Sokka every now and then. </p><p>Finally, Mai spoke, with ice in her usual monotone voice.</p><p>“Look. I don’t know what you want with Zuko, but quit staring at him. You’re freaking him out. And you better not try anything, cause if you even lay a finger on him, you’re dead.”</p><p>	Sokka gulped. He believed her. “I-”</p><p>	“I don’t care, okay? Just leave him alone. He’s been through enough already.”</p><p> </p><p>	She turned around without sparing him a second glance and headed out the door, taking Zuko with her. As he left, hands in his pockets, Sokka saw him look back for a brief second, taking a breath, before he walked out the classroom, leaving Sokka standing there with his mouth agape.</p><p>	Ten minutes later, Sokka was at his locker explaining the situation to Suki, who was trying her best not to laugh. </p><p>“How creepy do you have to be for him to think you were threatening him?” Suki said, a giggle slipping out.</p><p>“I don’t know, but I think I blew my chances at talking to the guy,” Sokka sighed. He reached into his locker to grab his phone and pulled up Matriarchy’s Instagram. “You don’t know if they’re playing more shows anytime soon?”</p><p>	Suki shook her head. “They probably played a house show because they couldn’t find anywhere else. No one’s heard of them.”</p><p>	Sokka shut his phone off, throwing his head back in defeat. He stuffed his shit into his backpack without a care for organization, then shut the locker door, maybe a little too hard.</p><p>“Listen, I know how you get with crushes,” Suki gave him a knowing look. “But just give it a week or something, okay?”</p><p>Just then, Katara walked, no, stomped, towards the pair, her fists balled up at her sides and her mouth held tight in a sneer. Although, it was made almost comical by how tiny she was. And her oversized backpack, a Sokka hand me down, swallowed her, nearly tumbling her over with every step she took.</p><p>“You will never believe what happened in math today!” she yelled through her teeth, her words barely audible. </p><p>Sokka and Suki froze in their places, sharing a look of concern and almost fear. </p><p>“What happened?” Sokka asked tentatively, raising an eyebrow.</p><p>“Azula totally sabotaged me! We were partnered up to solve some problems, and she fed me all the wrong answers. And then, when Paku called on me, she laughed in my face when I got in wrong! And now,” she swung her backpack around and opened it up, “I can’t find my homework sheet! That girl is a fucking sadist!”</p><p>	A wicked smile grew on Suki’s face. “Well, you’ll never guess what happened to Sok-”</p><p>	“Suki!” Sokka whined, and threw her a look that made her back down. “Listen, Katara, if it helps I’ll talk to Paku before class tomorrow. He won’t be able to resist my natural charm.”</p><p>	He flashed Katara a grin. She rolled her eyes, fake gagging, but her anger subsided.</p><p>“Okay, whatever. I’ve got to get to water polo anyway. You’re going to soccer practice?” Sokka nodded. “Cool. Say hi to Aang for me.”</p><p> </p><p>She walked off and Sokka tried hard not to think about the fact that his baby sister was getting more attention than him, both from boys and the Cheung siblings. </p><p>…</p><p>	It took four rings before Hands Off answered the call, but Sokka was surprised his plan was working at all. The voice that spoke was June, the 30 something year old owner of the venue. Suki had somehow managed to befriend her, which was the only reason Sokka decided to give this a shot.</p><p>	“Hands Off, it’s June, how can I help you?”</p><p>	“Hey June, it’s Sokka, you might know me, I’ve been to some shows.” He thought for a second. “Suki’s friend?”</p><p>	“Yeah.” Okay. Going well so far.</p><p>	“So, there’s this band I saw last week and I think they’d be a perfect fit for Hands Off they’re uhhh, yeah, they’re really cool.”</p><p>	“What’re they called?”</p><p>	“Matriarchy.”</p><p>	“Never heard of them.” She sounded bored. </p><p>	“Well, they’re kind of new.” Exasperated sigh on the other end. Oh no. “But they’re really, really good! I don’t know if they have anything posted online but-”</p><p>	“Do they have an Instagram?” </p><p>	“Um. Yes.”</p><p>	“Great. Send them to me.”</p><p>	“Okay.”</p><p>	“If we like them we’ll contact them. Thanks, Sokka.”</p><p>	“Cool. Bye.”</p><p> </p><p>						…</p><p>	The next morning, Sokka walked into Paku’s class with optimism written all over his face, Katara standing by his side and trying her best not to scowl. A second into their arrival, though, all hope was gone, when they realized Azula had beat them to the punch.</p><p>	Not just Azula either. </p><p>	The pair had their backs turned to Sokka and Katara, blocking the view of Paku sitting at his desk shoved away in the corner. Azula’s long black hair ran down her back, the top of it pinned up with a red bow. She was wearing a black and white striped shirt with sleeves that hung just past her palms, layered with a baggy tee, a red corset clenched around her waist, a ruffled midi skirt and shining brand new Doc Martens. It was a lot, especially next to her brother, adorned with black skinny jeans and an oversized grey hoodie. He couldn’t stay still, rocking back and forth on his heels and playing with his hands.</p><p>	He looked really cute, Sokka thought, before he snapped back to reality. </p><p>	“Uhhh….” he said, unable to come up with anything else.</p><p>	Katara shoved past him and marched up to Paku, nearly tripping over several desks on her way. Sokka quickly followed her, actually tripping over a desk, but making a (hopefully) smooth recovery. He slid between his sister, fuming with rage, and the Cheung siblings.</p><p>	The result was being close to Zuko, far too close for his comfort. Almost immediately, Zuko backed away, his eyes downcast. Sokka followed suit, sliding back behind Katara, almost using her as a human shield. Zuko tugged on his sister's sleeve, but she was smiling, far too coy to back down. She turned to Paku, then back to Katara.</p><p>	“Excuse me? You’re interrupting something?” she said, drawing out every syllable.</p><p>	Paku, as always, seemed mostly indifferent, sighing and flipping between students' papers.</p><p>	“What is it, Katara,” he asked without looking up.</p><p>	“I need to talk to you about….”</p><p>	Her words were cut with Azula’s cold, calculating stare. At first, Sokka nudged  her, ready for Katara to deliver her classic Katara fury, equipped with sarcasm and sass. Unfortunately for the both of them, she didn’t, she stood there, frozen. With every second of silence that passed, Azula appeared to grow stronger, and Zuko more uncomfortable.</p><p>	It didn’t hit Sokka until it did. Oh shit, Katara can’t handle this. She hates feeling defeated, out of control, powerless. Is this going to trigger her? She can’t handle this sophomore year. Whatever, fuck it.</p><p>	“We’re here because Azula,” Sokka pointed to her like he was accusing her of being a witch in 1500s Salem, “stole Katara’s homework, and is just being an overall asshole to her, for no reason.”</p><p>	Azula’s eyebrows raised, then fell just as quickly, as if to say challenge accepted. Even Paku was looking up now, his pen still in his hand. Katara hadn’t moved, but her shoulders dropped from where they must have been so tensely held together.</p><p>	“Do you have any proof?” she said, crossing her arms.</p><p>	“Of course I don’t have proof! You stole my homework!” Katara snapped.</p><p>	Even that seemed to push Azula away, and Zuko was darting his eyes from left to right.</p><p>	To break the tension, Paku tapped his pen against his desk, and checked his watch. If anyone was going to wear a non-Apple watch in this day and age, it would be Paku.</p><p>	“School starts in ten minutes, so I don’t have time for this,” he said frankly. “The both of you meet me after school. Sokka and Zuko, attendance is optional.”</p><p>	The four of them seemed able to agree with that. Sokka put his hand on Katara’s shoulder, and, almost in sync, Zuko began to pull on his sister's arm, trying to get them to leave as soon as possible. He hadn’t looked at Sokka this whole time. Sokka knew he wasn’t supposed to mean anything to him anyway, but it did hurt a little. </p><p>	Azula gave in to Zuko, turning around to leave, but right before she took a step, she uttered,</p><p>	“You know, if we’re really gonna play this game, we should probably address Sokka staring at Zuko for a whole hour yesterday, since it made Zuzu so uncomfortable.”</p><p>	“Azula!” Zuko whined, as Sokka hung his mouth open like an idiot.</p><p>	Before he could say anything, they were walking out the door.</p><p>	Waiting outside in the hallway for class to start, it seemed neither Sokka or Katara wanted to talk about the Cheung siblings, or anything at all. They had sunk down to floor level, bumping knees as they huddled beneath the lockers together.</p><p>	Sokka finally spoke, turning his head to Katara.</p><p>	“I saw you freeze up back there, and I just wanted to make sure you’re okay. You were pretty stressed out last year.”</p><p>	Approximately every six months, Sokka and Katara have a heartfelt bonding moment they never speak of, in exchange for teasing and belittling each other the other 90% of the time. It’s like an unspoken thing.</p><p>	“I’m fine, Sokka, Christ,” she leaned her head back, shutting her eyes.</p><p>	“I’m just saying, I know you’ve been doing better, but that doesn’t mean you can’t reach out for help when you need it, I was doing really badly fresh-”</p><p>	“I said I’m fine!” </p><p>	The hurt in her voice was clearly too much to justify being fine, but it was also too much for Sokka to understand in the moment. They spent a couple moments in silence, before Katara left for class, a minute early, and Sokka was left in the empty high school, the bell eventually ringing in his ear.</p><p>…</p><p>	After the after school meeting with Paku, Katara couldn’t stop complaining about how much of a liar Azula was. And how wrong Paku was for admitting there was no evidence for Katara’s accusations, and the most he could do was pay more attention to Azula and seat them separately. You would’ve thought that the one good thing to come from Paku dating Gran Gran would be nepotism, but no, not even that.</p><p>	But words cannot describe the emotion that entered Katara when they went to Katara’s locker, only to find her lock missing, and a pile full of ash left in the middle with a Post It note saying Enjoy your homework!</p><p>	Katara spent the car ride home trying not to cry and blasting Becky by Be Your Own Pet.</p><p>	Sokka made a mental note to give up on Zuko.</p><p>…<br/>	A couple days passed. Azula had backed off from Katara aside from a few passive aggressive comments, but Katara was still fuming. Lucky for Sokka, Chang switched to sitting across the classroom from Zuko, and Sokka had followed him. Sokka avoided looking or thinking about Zuko, for the most part, and Zuko did the same in return.</p><p> Suki and Sokka ate lunch on the bleachers, shoveling food into their mouths because they refused to understand manners. Katara had been spending more and more time with Aang, which meant Sokka had been spending more and more time alone with Suki. Suki pointed out that it was weird Sokka spent so much time with his sister when he had like, actual friends, but Sokka didn’t really care. If there was one thing he had realized, it was that summer had definitely spoiled him. Katara, Suki and Toph were way better than his jock friends, even if he would never admit it to any of them.</p><p>	“Hey, do you want to go to Hands Off, just me and you this weekend?” Suki said, in between bites. Bits of lettuce fell out of her mouth. Even Sokka could admit she was kind of gross.</p><p>“Yeah, sure, sounds fun. Are you sure you don’t want to invite Katara, though? She loves that place.”</p><p>	“Trust me, Katara’s not gonna want to go. Matriarchy is playing,” Suki said, pausing before winking at Sokka.</p><p>	Katara had been so weird with Azula these past few days, Sokka almost forgot what he did. He began to say something, almost, before he remembered the way Suki felt about drama. She hated it, and even if he did something, Sokka felt pretty sure she would make him go anyway. Besides, Hands Off was usually pretty crowded. It’s not like Azula or Zuko would have a chance at seeing them, much less talking to them.</p><p>	If he had wanted to speak up about how weird things were with Zuko right now, he failed to do so for the rest of lunch.</p><p>	Whatever.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hey! Apologies for being totally absent and also not replying to comments! School started and it's been really hard to focus but I appreciate everyone who read this, left kudos, commented or bookmarked! Thanks!</p>
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